THE MENTAL GAME OF PROFESSIONAL SWIMMING: STAYING MOTIVATED & FOCUSED
Retaining Your Focus Can Be Difficult
Being a professional swimmer requires a great deal of dedication, discipline, and hard work. It can also be a challenging and grueling sport, with long hours of training and intense competition. It is not uncommon for swimmers to experience periods of burnout or to struggle with motivation, but if these low periods aren’t handled in a healthy manner, they could push a swimming career back weeks or even months.
In this article, we will discuss physical, mental, and social strategies that can help professional swimmers remain motivated and maintain their focus on their goals.
Physical
Set Specific, Achievable Goals
No one, save for Hercules, can go from zero to hero just like that. A journey is accomplished by taking several small steps, and as people, we like to define those steps as milestones or goals. These goals should be specific enough to be measurable but also challenging enough to keep you motivated.
For example, rather than simply setting a goal to “win a gold medal,” a more specific and achievable goal might be to “improve my time in the 100-meter freestyle by 0.5 seconds by the end of the season.” Having well-defined goals gives swimmers something to work towards and helps them track their progress. Even if you don’t have that gold medal hanging on your wall just yet, you know you’re one step closer to making it happen.
Take Care of Your Physical Health
Maintaining good physical health is essential for staying motivated as a professional swimmer. If your body isn’t up to the task, the prospect of pushing yourself to the limit will progressively become more difficult. That means eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep every night, and maintaining your exercise regimen outside the pool.
Fixing Setbacks
Few things feel worse than stumbling on our personal journeys or going backward, but it happens sometimes. The path to victory is rarely ever a straight line. If you suffer an injury during training and need to spend a week or two outside the pool, take that resting time to figure out why it happened.
You could have been pushing your body too hard, in which case you should incorporate longer rest times between practices. Or perhaps you were hampered by an underdeveloped part of your body. There’s more to swim training than just swimming. You should be incorporating additional exercises into your training regimen to ensure your entire body is working at peak performance.
Mental
Maintain a Positive Mindset
A positive mindset is key to staying motivated. It is important to focus on the things that you can control and to let go of things that are beyond your control. This can include setting realistic expectations for yourself, focusing on the process rather than the outcome, learning to cope with setbacks and failures, and, more importantly, understanding that those failures aren’t the end.
Surrounding yourself with supportive friends and family and finding ways to relax and recharge outside of the pool can also help maintain a positive outlook.
Find Balance
While dedication and hard work are essential for success as a professional swimmer, it is also important to find balance in your life. That means setting time aside to recharge your mental batteries.
Pick up some additional hobbies, make time for friends and family, and lose yourself for a while. Even if becoming the fastest swimmer alive is your ultimate goal, remember, even Michael Phelps plays video games. As long as your hobbies aren’t taking away from your training or sleep schedule, indulge in them.
Take Care of Your Mental Health
Just as maintaining your body is vital to your swimming career, so too is maintaining your brain. As professional athletes, it can be frustrating at times to be human. Spending 24/7 mechanically pushing yourself in a pool might theoretically be great for setting world records, but it’s also impossible.
Burnout is a real thing, and if you’re mentally not in the game, your body isn’t going to achieve expectations. Sometimes it can be good to take short breaks from the pool, like a vacation from your goal. If you’re pushing yourself to compete next week, just grit your teeth and see it to the end, but if there’s nothing on the horizon? Take a short break for your own good. You’ll find yourself revitalized and ready to keep pushing afterward.
Social
Find Inspiration in Others
It can be helpful to look to others for inspiration and motivation. This could include seeking out role models or mentors or simply finding ways to stay connected with other swimmers and coaches. Joining a swim team or joining a club can provide opportunities to connect with others who share similar goals and interests.
Celebrate Small Victories
It is important to recognize and celebrate the progress that you make, no matter how small it may seem. This can include setting and achieving short-term goals, such as improving your times or reaching personal bests. It can also be helpful to celebrate the non-tangible victories, such as gaining new skills or becoming a stronger and more confident swimmer.
No matter the victory, it should be celebrated and rewarded. If that means going out with friends for a beer or staying up all night at a party, make it happen. Training is hard work, but that doesn’t mean your life should be devoid of celebration.
Seek Support
Professional swimmers often face a number of challenges and setbacks, and it is important to have a support system in place to help cope with these challenges. This could include seeking out the help of a coach, sports psychologist, or other mental health professional. It can also be helpful to talk to friends, family, or other swimmers about your struggles and seek their support and guidance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, staying motivated as a professional swimmer requires setting specific, achievable goals, maintaining a positive mindset, seeking inspiration and support from others, celebrating small victories, taking care of your physical and mental health, and finding balance in your life. By focusing on these strategies, professional swimmers can stay motivated and dedicated to their training and continue to progress toward their ultimate goals.